Connected
by IceTry
Summary: In the mist of Claire's absence, Zach attempts to repair his friendship with Regan. The two soon discover that in a cloud of secrets, it's difficult to avoid dangerous people because, ultimately, with every person, comes new connections.


**Author's Notes: **My first attempt at writing a Heroes fanfic…well, actually, my first attempt in writing something for quite a while. Just so we're clear—I don't own Heroes and well, you catch the drift. The characters you are familiar with (or should be…) are not mine. Those that you are not familiar with are. Suggestions/comments are always appreciated. Take care:)

**Connected: Chapter 1**

"A month since homecoming and they still haven't gotten over the incident," Zach sighed. "I mean, what else can the police find at this point?" Expecting to hear one of Claire's creative explanations, he was disappointed with the silence. He had forgotten that Claire wasn't at school for the past week, for obvious reasons that nobody bothered questioning. Hell, he didn't even know for himself. Instead, the silence that confronted him belonged to his friend, Regan. "Okay, really, Regan?"

Regan blankly stared at her friend.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Regan shook her head, as though returning back to reality. "Nothing," she muttered, focusing on her lunch tray. "It's just…one minute you're hanging out with that cheerleader, and now you want to act like nothing's happened?"

Zach didn't want to reply. He couldn't. Everything that happened within the past month couldn't convince anybody that Union Wells was a normal high school anymore. Nothing that happened could prove Claire Bennet was any more normal than the students that go there. Since the homecoming murder, students began to transfer to other schools and faculty slowly abdicated their positions in order to protect themselves from what the town started to call the "Unusual Unis." By far, Claire's absence was the hardest for Zach to deal with, and the fact that everyone degraded them to "Unusual Unis" only frustrated him more.

"I'm not treating it like nothing happened," he defended himself, putting his tray down in disgust. "And besides, Claire is nothing like the—"

"—she's a _cheerleader_, Zach. How much more different can she possibly be?" Regan trapped her anger before her conversational voice turned into a yell. "Look, it's weird to me. Whatever happened between you two, well, just keep it to yourself, okay?" She patted the dirt from her jeans as she got up, deserting Zach as she left the courtyard.

"More different than you know," he mumbled, cringing to the appearance of his lunch.

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_"Alright, so this is another one of your cheerleader initiation pranks, is that it? Is it?" Zach asked Claire, shaking his head in pity at the cheerleader._

_Claire, already frustrated, grabbed his bike by the handle bars and pressed her face closer to his, emphasizing her serious concern. "Zach, are you listening to me? Something is going on!"_

_"What is your damage?" he snapped. "Look, you haven't talked to me since sixth grade and now you call me out of the blue? What is this about?"(1)_

The class bell rang, signaling the end of the last period of the day. Zach rubbed his eyes, his vision slowly returning to its normal clarity. Not only had he slept through Biology class, but half the class was already out the door by the time he was fully conscious. Grabbing his books, he sluggishly made his way out the door, eyeing Regan across the hall. Before he could yell for her, she slammed her locker and rushed out of the main doors of the school.

Zach stopped by his locker outside, glancing down the row, somehow expecting to see Claire gussying herself up like she usually did at the end of the day. But there was no Claire—no warm-hearted cheerleader twirling her golden hair in the mirror, then waving to him because she realized he was standing at his locker—and this hurt him more than he was willing to confess.

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The walk home in solitude became routine for Regan. She and Zach usually spent the afternoons together, but since he started "helping Claire out" after school, she had to manage the time on her own. Zach needed some credit though, she couldn't deny. He was definitely trying to revive the friendship the two had, calling a few more times everyday, and stopping to talk in the hallways whenever he could. He even offered to drive her to school everyday just for the sake of being able to be around her.

Regan's daydreaming was disrupted by a car horn, summoning her from behind. Unsurprisingly, it was exactly who she assumed it to be: Zach. He slowed the car to the speed of her walk, and lowered the window. He greeted her with a smile, which weakened to the sight of Regan's emotionless reaction.

"I need to talk to you," he said to break the silence. "…about what's been really going on."

Regan peered in curiosity from the side of her eyes.

"Seat's open if you want to come along."

The car halted as Regan smiled. "I've got some things to tell you, too," she commented, settling in the passenger's seat and pulling the seat belt across her chest.

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The two reached their destination at Zach's home, a place where Regan had not visited for months. Zach offered a glass of water, which she gladly accepted as she took a seat at the kitchen table. The first few minutes of the conversation consisted of Zach talking and Regan nodding every couple of seconds.

"So, let me get this straight. You've been having dreams about Claire?" Regan asked.

"Not exactly…dreams. More like recaps of past conversations we've had," he replied, placing a glass of water in front of her. He scratched the back of his head and traced lines on the floor with his eyes. "The thing is…most of them are when she was trying to get my help…" His voice faded before he hinted about Claire's secret.

"Maybe it's a sign." Zach's concerned eyes examined Regan's face as though the answer could've been found written across her forehead. Regan shrugged at her foolish suggestion and sipped some water. "I mean, don't they say that someone is thinking of you when you dream of them?"

Zach buried his face into his palms. "I think it'd be easier if I called her."

"Why don't you?"

Zach held his breath, creating an awkward silence between them. "You were insulting the fact that I talked to her, and now you're telling me to call her?" His voice was muffled, words barely escaping the small gaps between his fingers. His fingers spread wide enough for his eyes to stare at her again. "Rey, you seriously must be confused or something."

She shrugged and leaned backwards on the chair, balancing it carefully on its two posterior legs. "I'm just saying. If you care that much for her, I think the right thing to do would be to call her."

As Zach reached for his cell phone, police sirens wailed down the road, causing distress among the neighbors' dogs. Regan and Zach looked at each other after screams echoed dimly into the house. The two rushed outdoors to see that the police cars positioned themselves in front of the neighbors' home. Screams continued to emerge from the house, two dogs circling the front yard wildly.

"The Lorences…" Zach said hesitantly. "W-What's…"

The dogs ran chaotically as the police approached the house. One officer pushed the Doberman aside as hissed for it to move. Zach grabbed Regan by the arm as the two made their way across the driveway—regardless of the shouting orders to move away from the supporting officers.

"Regan! Grab Milo and get him out of the way!" Zach yelled, tugging the Doberman—named Dallas—by the collar.

"I-I…" Regan stood motionless as Zach fought against Dallas's overpowering strength.

"Rey! Get Milo and get him out!" he shouted again, dragging Dallas harder with each pull.

"I…" Regan shook the doubts from her head and chased the yellow Labrador. After the dog made a sharp turn around the tree, she dove to grab him by the collar. Zach had already let Dallas loose in his house, and Milo was anything but cooperating. Regan managed to pull Milo well into Zach's front yard, and with Zach's help, they forced him through the front door.

The two leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. "T-Thanks for dragging M-Milo back," Zach panted.

Regan didn't reply, gripping her stomach as a wave of nausea swept over. Zach composed his breath and approached her. "Rey? You feeling okay?" he asked, gently holding her at the arms and examining her face.

"Zach...There's something I have to tell you," she barely muttered.

Collapsing to her knees, Regan wanted to scream from the pain that shot through her stomach. Zach crouched beside her, trying to hold her up. "Rey? Rey? What's wrong?"

Before Regan could say anything, her body transformed into that of a yellow Labrador—practically a mirror-image of Milo. Zach panicked, realizing that he was no longer holding Regan, but a dog. "R-Regan?"

The dog sat obediently and gazed at Zach with sad eyes, softly whimpering.

"Oh damn…" Searching for words to express what he witness, Zach's voice only squeaked. At this point, speechless was just an understatement.

_(1) Dialogue taken from Episode 11: Fallout_


End file.
